"Yayāti, the son of Nahusha, was greatly distressed on hearing of the
ire of the preceptor Sukra. Thereupon meeting with the infirmities of
age by the imprecation of the saint he said to his son Yadu:—’O Yadu,
thou art cognizant of religion, do thou therefore take this decrepitude
for me; I shall satisfy myself with various enjoyments. O foremost of
men, I have not been yet satiated with worldly enjoyments—I shall
therefore again take upon myself this decrepitude after having enjoyed
all objects of sense.’ Hearing those words of Yayāti, the foremost of
men, Yadu replied:—’Let thy most favourite son Puru take upon himself
this decrepitude. O king, thou hast deprived me from all things—what
more, thou dost not allow me to come near thee. Let that Puru take this,
with whom thou dost eat and live.’ Hearing the words of Yadu, Yayāti
said to Puru:—’O thou having large arms, do thou take the decrepitude
for me.’ Hearing the words of Yayāti, Puru, with folded hands, said:—’I
am always ready to satisfy thy commands; and I have been favoured and
honored by this command of thine.’ Hearing those words of Puru Yayāti
was highly pleased and attained to an excess of delight and then
transferred his own decrepitude to him. Thereupon regaining his youth
the king reigned in earth for many thousand years celebrating thousands
of sacrifices. Thereupon after a long time Yayāti said to Puru ’O my
son, do thou bring the decrepitude I have kept as deposit with thee—let
it now assail me. I transferred it to you as a deposit. For this I shall
take it back; be not sorry for this. I have been greatly pleased that
thou hast satisfied my behests. I shall, now pleased, install thee on
the royal throne.’ Having thus addressed his son Puru, the king Yayāti
angrily said to Yadu, the son of Devayani:—’Thou, vicious Rākshasa, art
born of me in the shape of a Kshatriya, or else why shouldst thou
disobey my orders? For this thou shalt never be a king. I am thy father
and preceptor and still thou hast disregarded me. Thou shalt be the
father of dreadful Rākshasas, O vicious minded; thy descendants shall be
degraded from the lunar race and thy children shall be equally
vicious-minded like thee.’ Having thus imprecated Yadu, the royal saint
Yayāti honored Puru, the enhancer of the prosperity of the kingdom, with
installation and then retired to woods. Thereupon after a long time he
breathed his last and went to the abode of the celestials. The highly
illustrious Puru reigned piously in the foremost of cities Prathishtan.
Yadu begot thousands and thousands of Rākhasas and being degraded from
the royal family reigned in a city named Kraunchavana, hard to be got
at. In this wise, according to the custom of the Kshatryas the king
Yayāti took upon himself the imprecation of the preceptor Sukra, but he
did not forgive him. I have thus related unto thee everything. O gentle
one, we shall follow the examples of these illustrious men. And in that
case we shall not be degraded like the king Nriga." While Rāma, having a
moon-like countenance, was speaking thus, the stars became fewer in the
welkin, and east, stricken with the early rays of the sun, appeared like
damsel, clothed in a raiment coloured with the dye of flowers.